The CDA wants the cabinet to adjust the nitrogen plans presented on Friday. That is what party chairman of the CDA in the House of Representatives Pieter Heerma said to reporters on Tuesday, the reported NOS and AD† The acknowledgment that the Dutch livestock should be reduced by about 30 percent caused a lot of anger among farmers.
It is not clear what exactly the CDA wants to change in the plans. “We really still have fundamental questions,” says Heerma. He spoke of “alternatives” for reducing livestock that the provinces – which are responsible for meeting the standards for nitrogen emissions – would have, without being concrete. According to Heerma, a ‘clearance’ in the countryside should not happen and a ‘good earning model for farmers’ is also important when executing the plans.
Ministers Christianne van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen, VVD) and Henk Staghouwer (Agriculture, ChristenUnie) received a lot of criticism for their targets presented on Friday to meet the legal requirements for nitrogen emissions. A majority of VVD members voted against the plans at a party congress last weekend.
The supporters of the coalition partner CDA, a party that has traditionally stood up for farmers, is also struggling with the plans. “Within the CDA it is not under discussion that something should be done, but we will argue for adjustments,” Heerma told reporters after a meeting with the CDA faction. He said that he had had a lot of contact during the weekend with fellow party members from the provinces where emissions must be reduced relatively sharply, such as Brabant and Limburg.
Also read: The farmers are losing their faith in the CDA